Back to Africa

Elaine and me in Cape Town, South Africa


Elaine and I decided to extend our trip with a 3 day stay in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a great idea. We were still with OAT , although we were in a smaller group . Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen: beautiful coastline and Table Mountain looking over it all. We went up to the top of Table Mountain in an ariel cable car that revolved to take in the whole view. Once on top, there were several walkways and the opportunity to see the little Dassies, small rodents whose closest relative is the elephant(!).

Dassie!

Coming back down the mountain we passed a group of baboons hanging out at a picnic area, but we steered clear. The guide told us that a baboon bite is more dangerous than a venomous snake bite -- the baboons will bite then twist, tearing muscle. There were a lot of stupid tourists coming close to take photos, but we all stayed in the van.

The next stop was along the coast to view the jackass penguins. I love penguins and these were no exception. Everyone had to stay on the elevated walkway so as not to disturb the natural habitat. I watched the penguins stop to look at the people, who had stopped to look at the penguins. I wonder who had the most fun...

We also visited a township. Townships were created back in the old Apartheid days, as places to live for the non-white population. Many people still live there and they conduct tours, though I felt very uncomfortable going through some of the homes. The guide said they open their houses so you can see how they live, but it seemed very intrusive to me. At that time, several families shared a home with a communal kitchen and eating area. There was an area of bigger, single occupancy homes that the guide called "Beverly Hills", and there were some areas not so nice -- cardboard huts with no running water. One lady was selling beaded necklaces from her hut and, of course, I bought a few. (At the end of the trip, our guide said, of all the tours he had led, no one had bought as much as I did. I told him I couldn't resist the beauty of all I saw...)

I'm shopping!

That was my last trip with OAT. I had found another group, Explore, that Estelle recommended and now I was committed to taking at least one big trip a year.